10/02/2026
🏡 What if the credit score you’re using isn’t the score that could save you the most money?
Most homebuyers are familiar with FICO®, but there’s another credit scoring model called VantageScore®—and depending on your credit profile, your VantageScore may be higher than your FICO score.
Why does that matter? Because in mortgage lending, credit-score thresholds matter—a lot.
Imagine your scores look like this:
FICO: 719
VantageScore: 745
That 26-point difference puts you into a different pricing tier with a lender or eligible loan program that accepts the applicable VantageScore model. Instead of pricing the loan around a score below 720, you may be evaluated using a score above 740.
That means better mortgage pricing, a lower interest rate and/or fewer pricing adjustments—depending on the loan program, lender, loan-to-value, property type, and other factors.
And the savings aren't necessarily limited to the mortgage. Credit-based insurance scores are also used by many insurers, although they are not the same thing as a consumer FICO or VantageScore, and rules vary by state and insurer. A stronger overall credit profile can sometimes contribute to more favorable insurance pricing as well.
Over the life of homeownership, even a relatively small improvement in your mortgage rate or loan costs can add up to thousands of dollars.
This is one of the advantages of working with an independent mortgage broker.
At APfinity Mortgage, we shop multiple wholesale lenders and evaluate available loan options—including programs that may use different eligible credit-scoring models—to find the structure and pricing that fit your situation.
One score shouldn't automatically define your options.
Thinking about buying, refinancing, or tapping into your equity? Send us a message and let’s see what options are available for you.
**Loan eligibility, credit-score model, pricing and rates vary by lender and loan program. Not all mortgage programs accept VantageScore, and a VantageScore cannot automatically be substituted for a FICO score. Insurance pricing and use of credit information vary by insurer and applicable law.**